Liu Kuan-Hsiang (Taiwan)

Kids

Liu Kuan-Hsiang goes for broke in this ecstatic tribute to his late mother; the dancer and choreographer clearly has a lot to get off his chest, and his catharsis is our reward. Having recorded conversations he had with his mom during her final days, Liu plays them, subtitled in English, for the audience; along with the dialogue come the movements of three incredibly agile dancers (Yu Wan-Lun, Huang Yu-Yuan and Liu himself). One moment they’re locked together in positions of the greatest difficulty; the next, they’re jumping and thrashing, acting with the exuberance that comes from the deepest emotional release.

Kids is a work of utter fearlessness. Liu dives headfirst into territory that many artists wouldn’t dare touch; the audience is privileged to his most intimate, primal feelings and experiences. From the sentimental to the scatological, the artist makes the private public in a demonstration of strength, courage and the deepest love.